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History
The Middle ages
The fall of
the Roman Empire brought to a halt any building activity worth mentioning. This was also
due to the involvement of the region in the Greek-Gotho war (535-553). The arrival of the
Longobard peoples in the 6th century, who colonized the territory on a massive scale with
their settlements, emphasized the already gloomy economic conditions of the
region,
dividing it between the Duchies of Spoleto and Benevento. It was in this period that the
term "Aprutium" began to be used to refer to most of the territory. With Carlo
Magno, in 843, administrative unity was restored, at least nominally, under the Duchy of
Spoleto, even though, by now, the large feudal families were dominating the political and
administrative scene.
The
resumption of construction work took the form of buildings of great importance which still
exist today, though mostly altered in one way or another. In fact, between the 8th and
10th century, the abbatial churches of San Giovanni in Venere near Fossacesia
(Ch), San
Pietro a Campovalano (Te), San Clemente al Vomano, dose to Guardia Vomano, a hamlet of
Isola del Gran Sasso (Te) and San Bartolomeo of Carpineto della Nora (Pe) were all
built. Furthermore, the churches of San Pietro ad Oratorium near Capestrano
(Aq), Santa Giusta in Bazzano, a hamlet of L'Aquila, Santa Maria a Vico near Nereto (Te) as well as many others
scattered throughout the regional territory were founded.
Around the year 1000 the Normans began advancing, and after a century, in 1143, they took
over control of the whole region, dividing it up into counties and putting it under the
Regnum Siciliae (later that of Naples), of which it would be an integral part for seven
centuries. Subsequently, in 1233, Frederick II of Sweden administratively reorganized the
region making the Iustitieratus Aprutii of it (in 1233), and establishing Sulmona as its
main town. In 1254 L'Aquila was founded which, under the Angioini dynasty and for the
following two centuries, became the principal city in the kingdom after
Naples. All the
cultural and political life of the region flourished in these three centuries before the
arrival of Spanish domination.
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Main
The
historic pre - Roman age
The
Roman age
The
Middle ages
The
Renaissance and the Baroque period
The
Modern age
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